Average annual air temperatures range from 28 degrees C along the Kimberley coast in the extreme north of Western Australia to 4 degrees C in the alpine areas of south-eastern Australia. Although annual temperatures may be used for broad comparisons, monthly temperatures are required for detailed analyses.

July is the month with the lowest average temperature in all parts of the continent. The months with the highest average temperature are January or February in the south and December in the north (except in the extreme north and north-west where it is November). The slightly lower temperatures of mid-summer in the north are due to the increase in cloud during the wet season.

Average monthly maximum and minimum temperatures for all capital cities, and also for Alice Springs and Davis Base in Antarctica, are shown in table 1.6.

Temperatures in Darwin in tropical northern Australia are relatively constant throughout the year. In other cities, there is a greater seasonal variation between summer and winter months. The seasonal variation in temperature, as well as the difference between maximum and minimum value in any month, is greater for the inland cities of Canberra and Alice Springs than it is for the coastal cites, where proximity to the ocean moderates temperature extremes.

Average monthly maxima

In January, average maximum temperatures exceed 35 degrees C over a vast area of the interior and exceed 40 degrees C over appreciable areas of the north-west. The consistently hottest part of Australia in terms of summer maxima is around Marble Bar in Western Australia (150 km south-east of Port Hedland) where the average is 41 degrees C and daily maxima during summer may exceed 40 degrees C consecutively for several weeks at a time.

In July, a more regular latitudinal distribution of average maxima is evident. Maxima range from 30 degrees C near the north coast to 5 degrees C in the alpine areas of the south-east.

Average monthly minima

In January, average minima range from 27 degrees C on the north-west coast to 5 degrees C in the alpine areas of the south-east. In July, average minima fall below 5 degrees C in areas south of the tropics (away from the coasts). Alpine areas record the lowest temperatures; the July average low is -5 degrees C.

Extreme maxima

The highest extreme maxima in Australia are recorded in two regions: the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions of north-western Western Australia; and a broad belt extending from south-western Queensland across South Australia into south-eastern Western Australia. Many stations in this region have exceeded 48 degrees C. Extreme temperatures in this southern belt are higher than those further north, due to the long trajectory over land of hot north-west winds from northern Australia, and the lower moisture levels in summer compared with northern Australia.

Most other stations in mainland Australia, except those near parts of the Queensland or Northern Territory coasts or above 500 metres elevation, have extreme maxima between 43 and 48 degrees C. Most Tasmanian stations away from the north coast have extreme maxima between 35 and 40 degrees C. The lowest extreme maxima are found in northern Tasmania (e.g. 29.5 degrees C at Low Head, near George Town) and at high elevations (e.g. 27.0 degrees C at Thredbo (Crackenback)).

While high temperatures are more common inland than they are near the coast, the highest temperatures recorded differ little between the two, except in Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Tasmania. Notable extreme maxima observed near the coast include 50.5°C at Mardie and 49.1°C at Roebourne in Western Australia, and 49.4 degrees C at Whyalla and 47.9 degrees C at Ceduna in South Australia.

Extreme maximum temperatures recorded at selected stations, including the highest recorded in each state/territory, are shown in table 1.10.

1.10 EXTREME MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES

Station

°C

Date

New South Wales

Wilcannia

50.0

11.1.1939

Victoria

Swan Hill

49.4

18.1.1908

Queensland

Cloncurry

53.1

16.1.1889

South Australia

Oodnadatta

50.7

2.1.1960

Western Australia

Mardie

50.5

20.2.1998

Tasmania

Bushy Park

40.8

26.12.1945

Hobart

40.8

4.1.1976

Northern Territory

Finke

48.3

1 & 2.1.1960

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra (Acton)

42.8

11.1.1939

Source: Bureau of Meteorology.

Extreme minima

The lowest temperatures in Australia have been recorded in the Snowy Mountains, where Charlotte Pass (elevation 1,760 metres) recorded -23.0 degrees C on 18 June 1994 (table 1.11). Outside the Snowy Mountains, the lowest extreme minima on the Australian mainland are found above 500 metres elevation in the tablelands and ranges of New South Wales, eastern Victoria and southern Queensland. Many stations in this region have recorded -10 degrees C or lower, including -14.6 degrees C at Gudgenby and -14.5 degrees C at Woolbrook. Temperatures below -10 degrees C have also been recorded in central Tasmania. At lower elevations, most inland places south of the tropics have extreme minima between -3 and -7 degrees C, and such low temperatures have also occurred in favoured locations within a few kilometres of southern and eastern coasts, such as Sale (-5.6 degrees C), Bega (-8.1 degrees C), Grove (-7.5 degrees C) and Taree (-5.0°C).

In the tropics, extreme minima below 0 degrees C have been recorded at many places away from the coast, as far north as Herberton (-5.0 degrees C). Some locations near tropical coasts, such as Mackay (-0.8 degrees C), Townsville (0.1 degrees C) and Kalumburu (0.3 degrees C) have also recorded temperatures near 0 degrees C. In contrast, some exposed near-coastal locations, such as Darwin, have never fallen below 10 degrees C, and Thursday Island, in the Torres Strait, has an extreme minimum of 16.1 degrees C.

1.11 EXTREME MINIMUM TEMPERATURES

Station

°C

Date

New South Wales

Charlotte Pass

-23.0

18.6.1994

Victoria

Mount Hotham

-12.8

30.7.1931

Queensland

Stanthorpe

-11.0

4.7.1895

South Australia

Yongala

-8.2

20.7.1976

Western Australia

Booylgoo Springs

-6.7

12.7.1969

Tasmania

Shannon

-13.0

30.6.1983

Butlers Gorge

-13.0

30.6.1983

Tarraleah

-13.0

30.6.1983

Northern Territory

Alice Springs

-7.5

12.7.1976

Australian Capital Territory

Gudgenby

-14.6

11.7.1971

Source: Bureau of Meteorology.

Heat waves

Periods with a number of successive days having a temperature higher than 40 degrees C are relatively common in summer over parts of Australia. With the exception of the north-west coast of Western Australia, however, most coastal areas rarely experience more than three successive days of such conditions. The frequency increases inland, and periods of up to 10 successive days have been recorded at many inland stations. This figure increases to more than 20 days in parts of western Queensland and north-west Western Australia. The central part of the Northern Territory and the Marble Bar-Nullagine area of Western Australia have recorded the most prolonged heat waves. Marble Bar is the only known station in the world where temperatures of more than 37.8 degrees C (100 degrees F) have been recorded on as many as 161 consecutive days (30 October 1923 to 7 April 1924).

Heat waves are experienced in the coastal areas from time to time. During 11-14 January 1939, for example, a severe heat wave affected south-eastern Australia: Melbourne had a record of 45.6 degrees C on the 13th and Sydney a record of 45.3 degrees C on the 14th. This heatwave also set record high temperatures in many other centres in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The Kimberley district of Western Australia is the consistently hottest part of Australia in terms of annual average maximum temperature. Wyndham, for example, has an annual average maximum of 35.6 degrees C.

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